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WASHINGTON, D.C., JANUARY 15, 2003
—From January 21-23, 2004, the International Finance Corporation, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, will play host to 100 business leaders, investors, and educational administrators in Washington, D.C. to discuss how the private sector can strengthen the role it plays in the financing and delivery of good quality higher education in developing economies.
The timing could not be better for the IFC to initiate this Forum: global economic pressures, technology advances, and concerns with standards in service and curriculum all underscore the need to share ideas about best practices and to develop new ways to meet the growing need for relevant higher education in developing countries.
Full details of the Forum are available on the IFC website at
http://ifcln1.ifc.org/ifcext/che.nsf/Content/EducationConference
.
The IFC has identified key experts from around the world to speak to the group and to engage them in stimulating presentations. The Forum will be opened by Peter Woicke, IFC executive vice president and World Bank managing director for private sector development issues. Ms. Mamphela Ramphele, managing director of the World Bank, will speak at the opening dinner, January 21. Other distinguished speakers include Paulo Renata Souza, former minister of education of Brazil; John Dawkins, former minister of education and minister of finance from Australia; Jorge Klor de Alva of Apollo Group, USA; and Dr. Joe Duffey, senior vice president, Sylvan Learning Systems.
Dr. Duffey, an acclaimed academic with extensive experience in the U.S. higher education system, will present one of two major case studies of operating models that are thriving today. In 1999, after six years as director of the United States Information Agency, Dr. Duffey moved to Sylvan, which announced plans to assemble a worldwide network of private universities outside the United States. The new venture hopes to attract private investment in expanding access to university education. Today, the Sylvan International Universities network (
http://www.sylvanu.com/
) includes institutions in Europe and Latin America, with projects underway in India and China.
On Friday, January 23 at 8.30 a.m., there will be a live debate on the issues of globalization
. It will be held in IFC’s Auditorium as well as broadcast over the Internet available worldwide. The debate is hosted by Learning Times in New York. Interested persons are encouraged to go online and register for the debate, either through IFC’s Health and Education Web site:
http://ifcln1.ifc.org/ifcext/che.nsf/Content/EducationConference
or through the Learning Times Web site:
http://home.learningtimes.net
and participate live with questions for the debaters. The debate will be moderated by Mr. Paul Stacey, managing director, Learning Times. The debaters will be the Hon. John Dawkins, former treasurer and minister of education of Australia and Dr. Terry Ryan. Dr. Ryan, who is director of the African Center for Economic Growth (ACEG), is a former Economic Secretary, in the Kenyan Ministry of Finance, and professor, at Strathmore University.
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